Screw cap retainer



'Dec. 10, 1940. K. s. WELTY S CREW CAP RETAINER Filed Jan. 7, 1939 jfmzeiy iWe/Q, $543 2% Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCREW GAP RETAINER Kenneth S. Welty, Cicero, Ind.

Application January 7, 1939, Serial No. 249,810

1 Claim.

This invention relates to containers, such as collapsible tubes, having screw caps which are removed to permit discharge of the contents of the container. It is a matter of common knowl- 5 edge that these caps are bodily removable and are therefore frequently lost or misplaced.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient means for permanently connecting the cap to 10 the neck of the container so as to prevent accidental loss or misplacement of said cap, to permit free rotation of the cap so that the same may be readily threaded onto or off of the neck, and to automatically move the cap to and retain 15 the same in an out of the way position when removed from the neck and discharging the contents of the container.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide eflicient means for securing the re- 20 tainer in connection with and against rotation relative to the neck of the container, as well as to facilitate application of the retainer to the neck.

With the above objects in view, the present 25 invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing:

30 Figure 1 is an elevational view of a collapsible tube and its cap, having my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the cap removed or disengaged from the neck of the 35 collapsible tube.

Figure 3 is a view with parts in section on the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the manner of applying the retainer to 40 the neck of the collapsible tube; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the retainer, per se. Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 indicates a collapsible tube having an externally threaded neck 6 on which is removably applied an inter- 45 nally threaded cap I which is usually provided at the top with a projecting flange 8 to facilitate rotation of the cap for its application or removal with respect to the neck 5.

In accordance with the present invention, the

50 neck 6 is provided at the base thereof directly below the threads of the same with a radial recess 9 which preferably inclines outwardly and downwardly as shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4. Also, the rim of cap 1 has an external 55 annular groove l therein.

The present cap retainer is formed from a single piece of spring wire bent intermediate its ends to form a helical coil II, and bent at opposite ends to form loops l2 and I3. The terminal end of the piece of wire at the loop I2 is directed radially inwardly of the latter as at M, as well as being inclined relative to the plane of the, loop l2 inwardly and upwardly as shown better in Figure 4. Due to this inclination of the inturned end M, the loop l2 may be readily forced 10 over the neck, the loop I2 being caused to expand sufliciently by reason of the camming action of the inturned end l4 against the neck as illustrated in Figure 4. When the loop has been fully applied, the inturned end [4 is alined with and snaps into the inclined recess 9 so as to effectively maintain the retainer in engagement with the neck and against turning on the latter. Thus, it is not necessary to manually expand the loop l2 and hold it expanded when applying the retainer to the neck of the collapsible tube.

The loop I3 is somewhat larger than the loop l2 and of a size to encircle the rim of cap 1 within the groove ll] of the latter. Thus, the cap I is freely rotatable relative to loop -l3 although effectively held thereby. It will be seen that when the cap is unscrewed or removed from the neck 6, the coil H acts to swing the cap laterally to an out of the way position as shown in Figure 2, holding the cap in this position while the contents of the tube or container 5 are being discharged. At the same time, the cap may be readily forced inwardly to a position wherein the same may be threaded onto the neck 6, free rotation of the cap for this purpose being permitted due to the swivel connection of the neck with the retainer or within the loop l3. The cap is at all times maintained attached to the container or collapsible tube 5 so that it may not become lost or misplaced, and it will be apparent that I have provided a very simple and inexpensive device for the intended purpose which may be readily applied and which operates efficiently.

What I claim as new is:

The combination with a container having a threaded neck, the base of said neck being pro- .vided with an external radial recess, and a cap adapted for detachable threaded engagement with said neck and provided with an annular groove in the rim thereof, of aretaining device comprising a single piece of spring wire formed at opposite ends with loops and intermediate its ends with a coil, one of said loops encircling the neck and the other loop being engaged in the relative to the plane of the associated loop to facilitate application of the latter to the neck, and said recess being similarly inclined to receive the terminal end when the loop is fully applied to the neck with the terminal end registered 6 with said recess.

KENNETH S. WELTY. 

